Insulated wall and room



Julylo, 1951 E. BERNIER INSULATED WALL AND ROOM Filed Nov. 19, 1948 yfllllllilll'l Patented July 10, i951 ase-aies iNsULATED WALL AND nooM Erling Berner, Goteborg, Sweden, assignor to Isoleringsaktiebolaget WMB, Goteborg, Sweden,acorporation of Sweden v.

Application November 19, 1948, serial No. 60,961' f In Sweden November 21, 1947 4 This invention relates to insulated walls of rooms and more particularly to walls of ships rooms orholds. The invention is principally distinguishedV by the provision of channels or passages within the wall, said channels or passages communicating with conduits for a nre-extinguishing medium, in a manner such that in case of a re a curtain of said medium is created within the wall to coni-lne the penetration of the re into the insulation. The channels or passages form a continuous system, so that the medium in consideration, such as water, is caused rapidly to spread over the threatened wall surfaces, said medium ,thus counteracting or preventing an attack on the insulating material by its lire-damping and cooling effect.v

The insulating capacity or efficiency of this material depends on the amount of moisture in the insulation, fthe greater the moisture content the less being the eilciency of the material. The invention has its greatest practical value, if the channels or passages inthe walls are at the same time adapted to be incorporated in a known mannerin a ventilation system., through which predrie'd air'isyunder normal conditions introduced into the wall to remove'moistureor water collected therein. In addition to the ventilation system normally ensuring keeping of the moisture content of the insulation at a low level, the important advantage is ensured that the insulation is dried after the fire combating apparatus has been in operation. Thus the insulating properties of the material may be restored, 4and from the point of view of drying, stripping of the insulation will not be required after its having been flushed with water or other fluid for re prevention purposes.

The invention will be described more in detail hereinafter with reference to the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing by way of example, further features characteristic of the invention being then also set forth.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a cold-storage room or hold of a ship, the walls of which room are provided with an arrangement according to the invention; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional View on the line II-II of Fig. 1.

The heat insulation disposed in the walls of the room is in the present case at the sides of the ship and in the roof or deck formed by insulating layers I of the multi-ply type, which may consist of alternating plane and corrugated sheets of impregnated paper with the corrugations extending parallel in the individual plies. Advan- CII tageously, the paper is impregnated with an asphaltic or other bituminous material, but Within the scope' of Y' the invention oth-er impregnatingl materials, inclusive of materials of fire-resistant y1 or fire-proof nature, may` be employed. The plies y ilo'or', such boards resting on a bottom I8 and being covered by vfloor layers 2i) in a manner known. IThe upper layer I 6 is provided 'on' the lower side thereof withirelatively` parallel slots'Y 22 extending athwartships. At the junctures between the various insulating layers, kfor instance g' 'between the layers of the side of the ship and those of the oor, there are provided collectingv l' channelsiZlI, so that the channels and the slots communicate with each other on all sides. Pro-V vided in known manner at the sidesvof vthe ship are Vdistance pieces between the hull 26 and the inner' lining I2, said pieces' being constructed from boards 28, flanges 30 and distance blocks 3'2 interconnecting the same. Said blocks are so disposed adjacent the collecting channels 24 that an open communication is provided along these channels in the longitudinal direction of the ship. Pipes 34 are disposed in the insulation of the roof or deck, which is generally somewhat sloping from the middle of the ship toward the sides thereof, said pipes extending in the longitudinal direction of the ship and being provided with sprinkling apertures at the lower side thereof. These -apertures open opposite longitudinally extending passages 36 in the insulating material.

The continuous channel system provided round all sides of the room, as above described, communicates with a device for the ventilation of the insulation, so that collection of moisture in the insulation is counteracted under normal conditions. In the embodiment shown, such device consists of pipes 38 connecting two points of the walls of the room with e-ach other at diierent levels, said pipes opening in places where longitudinally extending collecting passages 24 are provided. Connected into the conduits 38 in the upper part of the room is a receptacle 49, which may contain a cooling coil 42, which is traversed by a cooling agent. As indicated, the coil is connected by means of conduits 44 to the refrigerating elements 46 that adjust the cold-storage room ing moisturepenetrating into ,said insulation..

This continuous drying of the insulation has a favorable eiect on the insulating capacity there-1 of, which would otherwise become impaired to a greater r small extent through the presence of moisture. The circulation, Whichvis-,eiectedin the present case by the fact thatthe aircolumns ;V

in the system acting against each other have different temperatures and thus dii-ferent specific weights, may be intensied by the incorporation of a fan.

In its simplest form, the drying means abovev described simply consists of openings at diierent levels .in the coldstorage room. In the drawing,.ythcr drying means has. only been illustrated diagrammatically, moreV Ydetailed ,descriptions of such gapparatus forming a part ofthedisclosure and4 :claimed subject matter of y U.- S..0 Patent., applications ofnCarl G.Munters, Serial Nos...

73 11,25,3,lnow Patent No. 2,485,630, granted, Octo- .Y

Nowashoulda rebreak out. in` the cold-storage Y room, a lire-.extinguishingor re-dampinguid is introduced through the conduits 34,'Whichfluid may be liquid orv gaseous.r In ships, `Watermay bei -used-Y to ,-adyantage, thev same being. supplied to,th e conduits, by; means of any of thepumps normally provided in theship.. The. fluid in`A consideration is distributed. within the channeh system provided inthe walls, and `forms a kind of, curtainv or they like roundthe sides of :the

cold-storageroom, and, renders ther penetrationV of the fire, totheinsulation difiicultorimpossiw.

ble In the floor theremay rbe provided oneor more-drain pipes-48shaped toprovide or fitted.,

Withliquid seals, through which pipes `the uid, escapes. By thafact that.the channelsystem.

arranged in the walls communicates. atthe same advantage is gained that the insulation may, after a fire has been combatted, be dried or relieved of the nre-extinguishing fluid Without having to be stripped.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed, but may be varied in many respectswwithin the scope @off-fthe;basicl idea v thereof. If the insulationI does ,not itself show any spreading channels or passages, these may be arranged in the Walls With the aid of distance piecesor the like. When walls are considered in connection with the invention, said word is to be` interpreted so that it may also include the roof; andtheflcor of, the room.

What vI claim is:Y

In an insulated room, wall structure comprising insulating material having a multiplicity of substantially vertical parallel channels extending-therethrough, insulating material providing collecting channels extending transversely of the iirst,mentioned-,channels and-:communicating with-the upperand lower. endszof 4,ther iirst` :mentioned channels, whereby `to ,proyide4 .a channel system fromwhich liquidis substantially;- .entirely drainable by gravity, vmeans,1f rovidinga.. Ventilating systemY for .said Walls including ,A conv duitsccnnected .with said collecting` channels .fori circulating dryingl air through said channe lsys, l tem tov` absorb moisture from the insulating materialand, conduit means for supplyingriwater ,tom the upper part of said channel systemvtocfornLU-a L, `lire resistant curtain within said wal1. structure and p means communicating with substantiallylthe. t lowestpartof said channelsystem .for drainingg, water therefrom. v

ERLING BERNEE,

REFERENCES. 'CITED The ffollowingl references are.V of.; record in i;l1,e .f v file off-this patent;v Y

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

